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Story: Eating

Māori man eating, 1861

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Māori man eating, 1861

Māori traditionally ate with their hands but incorporated Pākehā utensils and equipment into their eating practices in the 19th century. Here a man called Watikini is eating a potato with one hand but grasping a spoon in the other. He is also using a plate.  

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: E-041-046

by James Coutts Crawford

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Eating – Table etiquette, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/38619/maori-man-eating-1861 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 20 November 2012.